Amazon may allow users to pay in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin soon as the e-commerce giant is hiring a digital currency and blockchain product lead for its payments team.
According to a latest job listing, Amazon’s Payments Acceptance & Experience team is “seeking an experienced product leader to develop Amazon’s Digital Currency and Blockchain strategy and product roadmap”.
An anonymous source within Amazon has reportedly told London business newspaper City A.M. that the e-commerce giant is planning to accept Bitcoin (BTC) payments by the end of 2021, possibly setting the stage for broader mainstream acceptance of crypto transactions.
“This isn’t just going through the motions to set up cryptocurrency payment solutions at some point in the future – this is a full-on, well-discussed, integral part of the future mechanism of how Amazon will work,” the source told City A.M., according to a report published on Sunday.
She indicated that, while Bitcoin is the first step in Amazon’s crypto ambitions, executives at the company were keen to add other established cryptocurrencies in the future. In addition to accepting Bitcoin payments, Amazon is said to be exploring the creation of its own cryptocurrency, possibly as early as 2022, she said.
Speculation about Amazon’s entry into the cryptocurrency market has been raging for days after a new posting for “Digital Currency and Blockchain Product Lead” appeared on the company’s job board last week. As per the job description, the new hire will help develop Amazon’s digital currency strategy and product roadmap. The position requires strong domain expertise in blockchain, distributed ledgers, central bank digital currencies and crypto more generally.
